Hello!
At noon on June 2 (the eve of National Trails Day), the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) will join hikers to peacefully rally and then hike around the Capitol grounds in Richmond to raise awareness on the impact two proposed fracked-gas pipelines -- the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) -- will have on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (ANST). We cordially invite you and members of your group to join us!
As a long-time member of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) and a lifelong hiker of the ANST, Executive Director Mike Tidwell is motivated to do everything possible to stop these pipelines. CCAN has been working with many great partners, including the ATC, toward this effort.
The MVP and the ACP are slated to cross the ANST and will require easements that are 125 feet wide, destroying private and public lands alike and threatening viewscapes. As if that’s not bad enough news, recent analysis has shown that construction of the ACP alone will flatten 38 miles of ridgetops in West Virginia and Virginia from 10 to 60 feet. These pipelines will destroy some of the most precious natural areas in the Commonwealth, in addition to posing significant threats to our water and air quality.
Earlier this week, Governor McAuliffe issued a cap on carbon emissions. He showed us that he understands the detrimental impacts of continuing to rely on fossil fuels. Yet he still supports the pipelines. We need to convince him change his course.
At the conclusion of our hike on June 2nd, we will provide Governor McAuliffe with a gift of compasses, reminding him that he has the ability to change course on pipelines. We would love to have you and members of your group to join us, so please share this invitation widely.
Please let Mike know if you can join him -- email him at mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org or call/text him at 240-460-5838. You’re also welcome to call/text me directly at 757-871-8639.
Thanks!
Stephanie Weber
Virginia Director
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
C: 757-871-8639
stephanie@chesapeakeclimate.org
